Walsh Whiskey Looks To Lead The Irish Innovation Push

Walsh Whiskey, imported by Palm Bay International, is among a number of rising independent players pushing the envelope in the Irish whiskey space. As the Irish category continues to soar—particularly in the U.S., where it rose 18% to nearly 3 million cases in 2015, according to Impact Databank—Walsh’s core brands The Irishman and Writers Tears are gaining momentum from a small base. The portfolio is currently at about 20,000 cases in the U.S., with the flagship The Irishman Founder’s Reserve ($38) contributing much of that volume.

In June, Walsh Whiskey opened a €25 million ($28m), 650,000-case distillery and visitor center in County Carlow, Ireland. It’s one of a number of new distilleries featured in the upcoming Winter issue of Whisky Advocate, which takes an in-depth look at the Irish whiskey renaissance. The issue will be released on December 6.

At its new distillery, Walsh will focus on experimentation while also continuing to contract whiskey from Irish Distillers at Midleton. “With The Irishman range and Writers Tears, we need to diversify and give consumers more choices,” says founder Bernard Walsh, who also serves as chairman of the Irish Whiskey Association. “Scotch whisky produces thousands of expressions, and there’s no end to the number of finishes. Irish whiskey has only started doing that in the last 10 years, and we’re trying to accelerate it.”

Among Walsh’s recent releases, Writers Tears debuted single malt and single pot still whiskey Copper Pot ($45), last year. It’s distributed in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Massachusetts. In addition, The Irishman Cask Strength 2016 is currently being bottled and will be sold in the U.S. on allocation. The company’s other whiskies available in the U.S. include The Irishman Single Malt ($46), 12-year-old Single Malt ($75) and Cask Strength ($150).

As Irish whiskey’s expansion trend accelerates, Walsh believes keeping pace with demand will become a significant challenge. “We see Irish whiskey continuing its growth in the U.S. very strongly over the next 10 years and taking market share from a lot of other categories, but it’s all got to start with production investment,” Walsh says.

News Briefs:

•Campari chairman Luca Garavoglia will take direct control of the family-owned firm that owns a majority of the drinks marketer following the death of Garavoglia’s mother, Rosa Anna Magno Garavoglia, on Tuesday. Later in the day, Campari issued a statement that Luca Garavoglia, 47, would now assume control of Alicros, which owns 51% of the Milan-based Campari’s equity and a greater share of its voting rights. “The Garavoglia family will continue, without any change, to maintain its role as long-term shareholder of Campari,” read the statement. Campari is the world’s sixth-leading spirits marketer, according to Impact Databank. Its shares trade on Milan’s Borsa Italiana.

•Champagne Bollinger held its first-ever North American auction at Sotheby’s New York this past weekend, selling 47 lots worth more than $130,000 in total sales. The top lots included three magnums of the prestige Bollinger R.D. cuvée, which sold for $3,800 per lot, two jeroboams of R.D. 1979 that garnered $5,500 apiece and a collection of every size Special Cuvée bottle—from a 375-ml. half bottle to a 15-liter Nebuchadnezzar—the house produces. The Bollinger 1914 Tasting Experience—a package that includes a visit for four at the Bollinger estate to enjoy the esteemed 1914 vintage as well as deluxe accommodations—was the event’s top sale, at $10,000. Bollinger is marketed in the U.S. by Vintus.

•Patrón Tequila has partnered with Bravo Media for season 14 of the network’s “Top Chef” competition series. The upcoming season, which premieres December 1, will integrate Patrón’s Silver, Resposado and Añejo expressions into a “Quickfire” and “Elimination Challenge.” The final four chefs will also compete at the brand’s distillery, Hacienda Patrón, in Jalisco, Mexico. Throughout the season, Patrón will be featured in Bravo-created vignettes with past contestants mixing recipes using the Roca Patrón line. The core Patrón range grew 4% in the U.S. last year to 2.1 million cases, according to Impact Databank.

Craft Brewing and Distilling News:

•Littleton, Colorado-based Breckenridge Brewery has ramped up production of its Christmas Ale winter seasonal by 25% for 2016. First launched in 1993, Christmas Ale is a returning 7.1%-abv offering brewed with Chinook and Mt. Hood hops. The seasonal, which typically sells out prior to Christmas, is expected to keep pace with demand this year, available in six- and 12-packs of 12-ounce bottles and on draft through December. Concurrently, Breckenridge is also bringing back Holidale, a whiskey barrel-aged version of Christmas Ale available in 22-ounce bottles.

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